OUR TEAM
Leadership
Aimee Sadler is the Founder and CEO of Dogs Playing for Life™…An Enrichment Program for Shelter Dogs Featuring Playgroups. Ms. Sadler is a nationally recognized trainer specializing in behavioral problems. Her techniques have been derived from over thirty years of professional work with multiple species, from dogs to cats, from exotics to marine mammals.
Aimee’s childhood passion for animals turned into a career in 1987 at the onset of her apprenticeship to Magic Mountain’s dolphin and sea lion show in southern California. From there Aimee was offered a position of leadership at the park’s wild animal show where she performed on stage with exotic animals in addition to touring with the creatures to better educate children. From her innate desire to help animals she then took a position with the American Humane Association, responsible for the monitoring of “animal actors”. This exposure resulted in her transition as the compound manager of Birds and Animals Unlimited, one of Hollywood’s top animal training facilities. Aimee then founded the animal rentals division of Fourth Cub Productions, Inc., where she supplied well-trained animals for numerous television commercials and music videos.
Over the years while Aimee developed her private dog training business, she maintained strong affiliations with rescue organizations. Since 1998, Aimee’s main interest has been working with shelter dogs after her private client sent her to the Southampton Animal Shelter to spend her session time working with the their dogs instead of her own. Ever since, Aimee’s vision has been to create enrichment and training programs that would prove to be invaluable to the well-being of dogs in shelters everywhere.
Dogs Playing for Life™ seminars and trainings have been provided to more than 250 organizations internationally. Aimee presents consistently at animal welfare and professional dog training conferences, such as HSUS’ Animal Expo, Best Friend’s Annual Conference, Masters in Behavior Conference, the No Kill Conference and the International Association of Canine Professionals Conference. Aimee’s programs have assisted multiple shelters in achieving industry leading success as open admission shelters saving more than 95% of their shelter dogs!
In recognition of her work, Aimee has been honored with the Henry Bergh Leadership Award in 2011 and the Maddie’s Fund Hero Award in 2018 in addition to being inducted into the Members Hall of Fame for the International Association of Canine Professionals. From the popularity of the program and the measured results in life-saving, Dogs Playing for Life™ has been featured in the Television Series, ‘Shelter Me – New Beginnings’ airing on PB and Netflix as well as being the inaugural recipient of the Petco Foundation ‘Love in Action Award’. In 2017 DPFL opened its first National Canine Center in Florida to serve as an advanced training and behavior center for unowned dogs needing some extra help prior to placement, and for the purpose of mentoring and cultivating shelter canine trainers.
Aimee currently resides in Longmont, CO, with her husband and their very full family of furry and non-furry beings.
Emily was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area where her love for pets blossomed. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, Emily accepted a position at a local animal shelter where she had the privilege of leading a team in increasing adoptions by more than 100%-and became hooked by the purposeful work animal sheltering provided.
Following her tenure at DAWG, Emily became the Director of the Santa Ynez Humane Society. In her ongoing efforts to improve the training of her staff and ultimately enrich the lives of the animals in her charge, Emily met the Dogs Playing for Life team, which she enthusiastically joined as Director of Development in 2015. Since then, Emily has earned accreditation as a Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA), been promoted to Chief Operations Officer at DPFL, and has earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration, with an emphasis on nonprofit management.
Emily lives in Santa Barbara, California in a very full home with two dogs and a cat. In her free time, she can be found on the beach or teaching her 4 nieces and nephew how to beg their mothers for (another) rescue puppy.
Rhea grew up in a small town on the western slope of Colorado. She was surrounded by ranches and farms and grew up with multiple dogs, cats, chickens, goats, and various other animals. After graduating from Pacific University in Oregon, Rhea returned to Colorado and, after several years working in different medical settings, she started volunteering at Longmont Humane Society where she met Aimee Sadler and was inspired to make a wholesale career change into animal welfare.
In 2010, after volunteering for 4 years, Rhea began working at Longmont Humane Society (LHS) as the Public Training Program Coordinator. Ultimately, she was promoted to Director of Operations in 2018 and focused on making sure that LHS maintained playgroups and progressive programming to ensure enhanced quality of life for all animals that came through the doors. In 2023 she jumped at the opportunity to join DPFL full-time as the Chief Programs Officer and she is excited about the opportunity to help dogs on a national level through the many programs that DPFL offers.
Rhea currently lives in Florida and enjoys spending time with her two rescue dogs, both of whom came from DPFL’s Canine Center Florida after graduating from their individualized, extensive training programs.
Aaron Caldwell began his work with Austin Pets Alive! in February of 2011. After spending over a year with the organization as a Lead Adoption Counselor, Aaron was given the opportunity and privilege to join the behavior team as the Dog Behavior Program Assistant Manager. Under the tutelage and guidance of Mike Kaviani, a former leader at Dogs Playing for Life, Aaron worked as a playgroup facilitator, adoption/foster follow up coordinator/trainer, and spent time helping with the behavior modification and rehabilitation of APA!’s shelter population. In the summer of 2016, Aaron took on the role of Dog Behavior Program Co-Manager, and spent his time collaborating as much as possible to keep Austin a lifesaving city. In December of 2020, Aaron transition into a role at AmPA! and utilized his knowledge to help shelters across the country to achieve greater lifesaving in their own communities. In 2021, Aaron joined the DPFL team as Director of Shelter Programming where he mentors shelters in quality of life and lifesaving programs centered around playgroups!
Lauren Revier developed a deep love for dogs at a young age, but her formal introduction to animal welfare came in 2013 when she started volunteering at Longmont Humane Society. She was so drawn to the dogs, the people, and the work that she applied for a job and began facilitating animal intakes and adoptions while still volunteering her time walking and learning to handle more challenging dogs. From 2014 to 2016, Lauren held the position of Public Training Program Coordinator, overseeing the public dog training and adoption follow-up programs. She left this position in 2016 but continues to teach public training classes every week. Upon leaving her full-time job at Longmont Humane Society, Lauren worked for four years at a criminal justice consulting firm where she conducted research, administered surveys, and wrote reports and implementation guides. Lauren was thrilled to return to animal welfare in 2019 when she joined DPFL as its Shelter Support Coordinator. She holds a master’s degree in Criminology, Law, and Society and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with her husband and their three dogs. As Director of Research and Programs, Lauren is responsible for measuring DPFL’s impact and ensuring its programs are continually improving. She loves getting to connect with shelter staff, volunteers, and adopters from all over the country.
Presenters and Leads
Max grew up with dogs and pets of all kinds his entire life. When he was 14, he began volunteering at the Longmont Humane Society, and began working as an Animal Care Technician as soon as he turned 18. After a year Max transitioned to the Training and Behavior Team at the humane society. During his 7 years working on this team, Max was introduced to both his own dog Petzl and to Dogs Playing For Life and transitioned to working as an employee for them after getting his associate’s degree in Social Psychology.
Chris was ‘bitten’ by the canine training bug at a young age. In fact, according to Chris, he was literally bitten by just about every dog in his neighborhood growing up. This led to an interest in understanding dogs better as a whole while recognizing they’re each an individual too. With a passion for those high-energy, high-drive dogs that typically struggle the most in shelters, Chris understands the importance of outlets and how they can help dogs learn better and improve their quality of life in the process!
Melody started her dog training journey volunteering at Austin Pets Alive in 2017, then joined their behavior staff in 2018 with Aaron Caldwell as a behavior manager and mentor. Melody took lead of APA’s playgroup program in 2019 and worked to maintain then expand their program, keeping DPFL’s “Every Dog Every Day” motto at the forefront. Melody collaborated with APA’s vets developing protocols to allow undervaccinated puppies the opportunity to socialize in controlled environments. Melody also used the principles of Behavior Adjustment Training to develop a protocol for working with dogs who couldn’t join off-leash playgroups due to offensive and/or uninterruptible behaviors towards dogs. Melody was able to progress some of these dogs, improving their attention to handler and stimulus control around other dogs, reaching a point where they could get back to off-leash playgroups with other dogs. One notable dog, Vin Diesel (aka a real “wrecking ball”) now lives in foster with two female dogs and has met several potential adopters’ dogs successfully in search of his forever fit. For cases where a dog’s demeanor improved on leash, but they still couldn’t quite make the leap to off-leash play time, Melody worked with skilled volunteers to develop a tandem walking program so dogs could continue building their skills and have more opportunities to learn, grow, and get out of kennel enrichment. In 2021 Melody took on a new position with APA to build out a daycare program for their foster dogs. This made good use of all the kennels gained from APA’s big push towards a foster-centric model during the COVID pandemic. Daycare allowed fosters to drop their dogs off in the morning to join in APA’s existing playgroups throughout the day, then get picked back up by their fosters in the evening. In many cases, dogs would be seen by increased adoption traffic on weekends, in kennel or in the playgroup yard, and were often adopted that same day! After 6.5 years with APA, it was time to progress and grow, bringing Melody to DPFL in 2024. Melody learned to teach DPFL’s playgroup Mentorship I at Austin Pets Alive, and now travels to other shelters teaching them how to playgroup and bolster their existing programs. Melody is thrilled to join DPFL and continue learning and growing with their impressive team.
Ashley has been working in animal rescue for five years and came to DPFL to learn more about dogs with behavior challenges. Her favorite thing to do with the dogs is teaching them new things– from the basics like “sit” and “place” to complex tricks like picking something up off the ground and handing it to a person. She loves hearing from shadow students and mentees about how DPFL programming inspires them to keep doing the work and to help dogs at their home shelters. Ashley has two dogs at home and lives in Alabama.
Caley is originally from Parker, Colorado. Before starting in animal welfare, she was a registered behavior technician for children with developmental disabilities. She transitioned to the animal care industry in 2020, in a leadership position at a high-volume boarding and daycare facility. She quickly saw how beneficial the principles used in ABA therapy were when applied to her interactions with the animals.
After moving to Florida and starting full time work at a Humane Society, Caley became determined to utilize these skills to create more opportunities for dogs that were struggling behaviorally. She discovered DPFL’s learning library through word of mouth and was inspired to learn more. Through webinars, mentorships, and seminars, she began to realize new possibilities when it comes to quality of life in a shelter. Not only for the dogs, but for the staff, volunteers, and potential adopters as well. She sought out every resource she could to learn about playgroup and behavior modification, and dedicated herself to expanding this knowledge by presenting it to others in the industry. Caley started working at DPFL in April of 2023, and meets each day excited to gain more knowledge and grow in her skills as a handler. Her dream is to inspire others to work together to find the best possible outcomes for shelter animals.
Kylie was raised in Panama City Beach, FL, where she volunteered at Bay County Humane Society quite often when she was younger. Kylie has always had a love for animals and has always had an animal in her life! When Kylie learned about Dogs Playing for Life and their mission, she was instantly excited to be a part of something bigger than herself and to join an organization that helps save the lives of so many dogs, while also helping the humans. Kylie adopted Izzo (pictured), a former behavior kid, from CCF. Izzo is one of the biggest reasons Kylie decided she wanted to work in animal welfare. Kylie is eager to be constantly learning the ins and outs of dog behavior. Her favorite thing about working for DPFL is teaching people at CCF/seminars and watching dogs at CCF make progress!
TRAINERS AND HANDLERS
Danielle (Dani) Hill has always had a fondness for dogs, but it wasn’t until she adopted her heeler mix, Blue, that she got into the training side of dogs. In June of 2020, she started working at a boarding kennel in Texas that did a variety of training. Since then, she and Blue have attempted and trained for different sports including Scent Work, Barn Hunt, AKC Fast CAT and a pitiful attempt at agility training. Her true passion is with Scent Work and how teaching dogs how to use their nose can increase confidence! Dani first heard about Dogs Playing for Life when she went on an excursion through the IACP conference, where she won a scholarship. She really enjoyed visiting with the team, and applied to CCF shortly after. She resides in Texas with her three dogs and is very grateful for the opportunity that DPFL has given her to learn about behavior modification.
Jason was born and raised in Florida, and has always had a fondness for dogs. He has been involved in animal welfare since 2021 and recently worked at Alachua County Animal Resources. He started delving into dog behavior and training when he adopted his first dog, Dixon, from the Williston Animal Group. Along his journey with Dixon, he met his husband and now has six dogs with him, and a whole new world with dog sports. Jason is excited to be a part of the DPFL organization and help make a difference!
Keanna is from Live Oak, Florida. Growing up, she always had dogs for companions, and her passion for all kinds of animals dates back to her childhood when she used to watch her uncle Rick, a veterinarian, train his dogs and help other people’s pets. Ever since, Keanna dreamed of working more closely with animals and learning more about training and animal behavior. Keanna loves working for DPFL and is learning new things every day.
LOS ANGELES TEAM
Kodi Sadler is proud to be one of Dogs Playing for Life’s Lead Instructors providing playgroup training to shelters internationally. His love of all dogs and his comfort working with large groups has been a prevalent part of his life since before he can remember. As Aimee’s oldest son, his earliest memories include waddling around amidst the ever-changing large pack of owned and rescued dogs that cohabited with the Sadlers while in training. Kodi’s formal career in animal welfare began at the age of 17 when he started volunteering at the Longmont Humane Society. At age 18 he was invited to join the DPFL Team as an Instructor’s Assistant and fell in love with the work, inspiring him to complete his high school through a work-study. While Kodi now travels full time teaching for DPFL, he considers himself to be a student of animal welfare. With the road as his campus and the dogs as his teachers, Kodi intends to continue learning as much as he can about the work that will be a part of his life forever. Kodi is passionate about playgroups and the positive impact they have on animals and people.
Stephen Davis was born and raised in the South Bay area near Los Angeles, CA. He is a lifelong lover of animals with a specific connection to canines. When Stephen learned that DPFL for the first time in its history, was hiring a permanent enrichment coordinator inside a Los Angeles shelter, he knew he had to apply for the position. In 1995, he was sentenced to Life Without the possibility of Parole (LWOP). Thankfully in 2018 after 23 years of incarceration, with the help of his wife Adrienne and backed by community and unwavering family support, he was commuted by Governor Brown and re-sentenced to 25 to life, giving him the opportunity to be considered for parole. While still incarcerated, in 2019 he became a trainer with Paws for Life K9 rescue, where he attended a seminar hosted by Dogs Playing for Life. During this time, he learned of DPFL’s philosophy of playgroup enrichment. In June of 2022, Stephen paroled after 27 years, and hit the ground running with Paws for Life which provided him with a job within his first month home. Now proudly representing DPFL, through socialization & playgroup enrichment, Stephen can help give shelter dogs a second chance a life – just as he himself has been given. He is very proud to be the first hire for this program and is looking to the future in ways to strengthen it and help continue its success.
Stephanie Diaz discovered her love for animals while working at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2008. It was the animals’ unique behaviors that captivated her curiosity, which further extended to her fondness of canines. She was set on starting her career working with canines full-time and started working at doggy daycares, had steady pet sitting gigs, and eventually taught basic training skills from 2010-2019. Stephanie eventually moved back to her hometown of McAllen, TX, and in 2020 she once again had the opportunity to work with canines at her local animal shelter. Initially starting as an animal care technician, she was later elected to head their pilot enrichment program with the goal of leading DPFL-style playgroups 7 days a week. One year later and the program turned into a department of 3 Canine Enrichment Coordinators, with Stephanie leading the team. She is now the newest Enrichment Coordinator with DPFL at the South Los Angeles Chesterfield Animal Shelter, and is looking forward to growing her knowledge of canine behavior. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys the outdoors and trying new things.
Grace grew up in Northern California where she first started working with dogs at a doggy daycare. While she was in school in San Luis Obispo, she continued working with animals through her hands-on education in Animal Science at Cal Poly while also working for a dog trainer. In fall 2023, she moved to Los Angeles to start working as a Canine Enrichment Coordinator for DPFL. Grace enjoys hiking and backpacking and her favorite animal is a chicken.
Syd Dolezal, an Arizona native, started his professional career early in the music industry and found a passion for making a difference in peoples lives. As they’ve grown up and moved to LA, his music career took a back seat to personal growth and Syd has found a new avenue to making a change. Syd found DPFL and was drawn to the program’s impact on the lives of shelter dogs and shelter staff/volunteers and he quickly decided to dive head first into the mission. He didn’t have previous experience with dogs professionally, however their love for animals and humans has translated into him becoming a motivated handler as he quickly picks up the tips and tricks and lessons on and off the job.
Megan is new to the West coast; having been born and raised in New England, she moved to Los Angeles in the spring of 2024. Wanting to pursue her lifelong passion for animals, she quit her corporate job and took on the role of Canine Enrichment Coordinator at DPFL. She has informally worked with animals all her life, both with her own beloved pets and through dog walking & volunteering. She is excited to be able to get a more educated perspective on dog behavior and apply what she learns to improve the lives of shelter dogs in LA. In her free time, she loves going to the movies and exploring the new sights of the West coast.
Anthony Rentería is a dedicated animal care professional based in Palmdale, CA, with extensive experience in animal husbandry and enrichment. He worked as a Kennel Attendant at St. Bonnie’s Sanctuary in Canyon Country from November 2019 to July 2024, where he was responsible for maintaining cleanliness, providing grooming, and monitoring animal health.
Anthony’s commitment to animal welfare is further demonstrated by his volunteer work as an Animal Caretaker at Jaws & Paws in Acton, a Zookeeper at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, and a Zookeeper at Wildlife Waystation.
He also served as a Kennel Assistant at AV Veterinary Center and contributed as a Core Volunteer/Kennel Crew Member at Wolf Connection and a Volunteer at Palmdale Animal Care Center. Anthony’s diverse experience in animal care, combined with his hands-on skills and compassionate approach, underscores his dedication to improving the lives of animals and supporting animal welfare initiatives.
Canine Center Florida Team
Yancey Cushman was raised with large dogs and horses and has had every kind of animal possible. She started training dogs at a young age and, throughout her middle and high school years, she volunteered at a local humane society training dogs and assisting with adoptions. Yancey spent more than 9 years as a vet tech before joining the DPFL family in 2021. Her favorite part of the job is getting to watch the dogs thrive in CCF’s wonderful program and getting to see what these “Diamonds in the Ruff” can become!
Shannon Sloan is originally from Tallahassee, Florida, but grew up in Swanton, Vermont. After graduation, she wanted to be closer to family and hopefully start a career working with dogs, as she has always had a love for animals. When Shannon’s not at work, she’s home spending time with her pup, Brantley. Shannon is hoping to learn more and further her education and knowledge about dogs.
Erin began working in animal welfare in 2014 after years of developing personal experience handling, rehabilitating, and fostering both wild and companion animals. Her career began in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a large regional Humane Society, followed by 9 years working at the Longmont Humane Society in Colorado. Erin’s work at LHS began in 2015, providing service at both the Adoption and Intake desks. She continued expanding her range of responsibilities within the shelter, holding several positions throughout her years there. Erin served as Public Training Program Coordinator from 2017-2021, overseeing all public dog training and adoption follow up programs, instructing obedience courses, conducting behavioral evaluations, and supervising puppy playgroups. From 2019-2021, Erin also held the additional role of Transfer Coordinator. In 2021, Erin restructured LHS’s behavior department and training programs, combining the public & shelter training programs to create a more streamlined, cohesive department, ultimately becoming Shelter Manager of Training & Behavior. In this role, Erin was a member of the senior management team, spearheading leadership initiatives to develop and guide all training & behavior department operations, programs, and staff. She was responsible for maintaining the behavioral health of all LHS-owned dogs while in a kennel/shelter environment and providing effective & appropriate training and handling for both LHS & client-owned dogs in need of behavior modification. Erin eagerly joined the DPFL team in 2024 as Canine Outreach Coordinator to further expand her reach working with shelter dogs nationwide. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and lives in Longmont with her husband, and their three rescue dogs, Dexter, Domino, and Dobby.
administration
Dawn was born and raised in Illinois, where she graduated from the University of Illinois. There she graduated with degrees in Psychology and Human Services. She has always had a passion for understanding behavior. Her curiosity remains in the study of behavior but has evolved to work with dogs. This curiosity has led her to many years of volunteering with local rescues & working with dogs as a trainer, vet tech, and boarding kennel owner. Her involvement with DPFL began with webinars and participating in the Shadow Program. After those programs, she knew she wanted to remain involved with DPFL. Her current role in the organization is Executive Assistant. Dawn now lives in Florida with her husband and two daughters on a small hobby farm with many rescue animals, including dogs, cats, pigs, and horses, to just list a few.
Florida Team
Jessica has always been around dogs, starting from a young age, and couldn’t imagine a life without them! Jessica’s professional journey includes a role at the Jacksonville Humane Society, where she developed a passion for working with shelter animals, emphasizing enrichment activities. While at the shelter, Jessica discovered Dogs Playing for Life and was drawn to their mission. Motivated by the opportunity to assist other shelters, she decided to join Dogs Playing for Life, eager to contribute to the implementation of enrichment programs, including playgroups, across various locations.
Maria Pantin immigrated to the United States as a child from Venezuela. She grew up in New Jersey and eventually made her way to Florida. She is a Certified Behavior Consultant, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and holds a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Maria started her professional career working with children and families seeking mental health resources before eventually transitioning into animal welfare. Over the years, Maria has worked in many parts of the industry; working with private clients to provide training and guidance to help their dogs thrive in their homes, running training programs at a doggie day care as well as a retail store, and working as a behavior consultant at county shelters as well as non-profit shelters. Maria’s shelter journey began as a volunteer at local shelters during her down time as a trainer and consultant. Eventually those shelters approached Maria to join their teams as an employee so she could spend even more time working with their dogs and staff. When she’s home, Maria loves to spend time with her three rescue pets (two dogs and a cat!). In 2024, Maria joined Dogs Playing for Life as a Canine Enrichment Coordinator in Florida.
Board of Directors
Pic & Text
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